RPB awards $4.8M in grants to supporteye research

New York-Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB), announced 44 new grants totaling $4.8 million for investigations into the causes, treatment, and prevention of all blinding diseases.

In the past 18 months, RPB has committed more than $12.9 million to eye research.

Across the United States, RPB-supported laboratories are investigating the entire spectrum of eye disease: from cataract, glaucoma, and diabetic reti-nopathy to age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and eye movement disorders.

The latest awards were given to 29 medical institutions, including unrestricted and challenge grants to depart-ments of ophthalmology at 22 medical schools and 22 awards to individual scientists.

The recently-approved grant projects include:

Among RPB's vision scientists fighting eye diseases are nine active Jules and Doris Stein RPB Professors who receive $375,000 each over 5 years and up to $100,000 in a matching grant for laboratory construction.

An additional $150,000 may be awarded during a 2-year extension of the award.

RPB currently supports eye research at 54 medical institutions throughout the United States.

For a complete listing of grant recipients, go to http://www.rpbusa.org. OT